


Step by Step

by grumblesandmumbles



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Disabled Character, Gen, M/M, Paralysis, Sad Mickey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-03
Updated: 2015-09-29
Packaged: 2018-03-26 02:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3833608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grumblesandmumbles/pseuds/grumblesandmumbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sammi's revenge had some damning consequences. Can Mickey learn to handle all of these changes in his life?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ian's phone wouldn't stop ringing. He saw Mickey's name flashing over and over, the phone going silent just long enough for it to start all over again. At first he let it keep ringing, then he put it on vibrate and watched as the screen would light up and eventually go black. But then even the buzzing made its way into his brain and started driving him nuts. At that point, he turned it off. Every so often, he would turn it back on again and watch as the voicemail count grew. One, ten, forty. He sat there, phone in hand and finger hovering over the delete button, but he couldn't bring himself to erase the messages. He didn't want to listen to them, but removing them seemed so... final. The phone would be quiet for awhile until a phone call arrived, testing to see if the line was open. Once again, the cacophony restarted and didn't stop until Ian powered the phone down. After three straight days of this, the calls stopped and didn't come back, and Ian found himself checking to make sure his phone was still on.

\--------------------

When Mickey woke up, the first thing he noticed was Mandy sporting bright red hair and having a very intense conversation with Iggy. The second thing he noticed was that something was on his face. He tried to reach up to move it but there were wires and tubes everywhere. The motion caught Mandy's eye and she slapped at Iggy's arm.

"He's awake, get the doctor!" 

Iggy rushed out of the room and she came over to Mickey's bedside and grabbed his hand. When she realized he was trying to motion to the oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth, she reached up and gently removed it for him.

His throat was dry from disuse and he had to force the words out. "The fuck happened?"

Mandy shrugged and replied, "You tell me, Mick. I got a call from Iggy that you were shot and in the hospital, you've been out of it for three days."

Iggy returned with the doctor, who first looked at Mickey's chart and the machines showing his vital signs. He then pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and held it up for Mickey to see.

"I'm going to use this to check your eyes. Can you tell me your name?"

"Mickey. Mickey Milkovich."

"Great, do you know where you are?"

"The hospital."

"Good, do you remember what happened?"

Mickey stops to think for a moment and shakes his head. The doctor doesn't seem concerned. "That's normal, Mr. Milkovich. Sometimes when we go through something traumatic, our brain doesn't remember everything. You were shot in the back running away from someone who was chasing you. I understand the person was caught, so that should be of some relief to you. Upon your arrival here, you were taken immediately into surgery to extract the bullets. There was some concern because of the location of your wounds and we will need to perform some tests to see the damage. I'd like to ask your brother and sister to step out for a moment while we do this." 

Mandy and Iggy left the room, but Mickey could see them watching from outside the door. The doctor ran through a number of tests, asking Mickey to wiggle toes on each foot, move each foot, asking Mickey whether he felt himself being touched, poking Mickey and testing his reaction, and reflex tests. As he went through different tests, he took notes in Mickey's chart and finally motioned for Mandy and Iggy to come back in. 

"Mr. Milkovich, I regret to inform you of this, but it seems you have partial paralysis in your legs as a result of the shooting. You were able to feel certain stimuli and properly respond to some questions of where contact was made, but when directed to make certain movements you were unable. The good news is that you do have sensation, which means with proper therapy and intervention, there is a chance you can regain some or all of your mobility."

Mickey watched his brother and sister looking back and forth between him and each other, Mandy's hands covering her mouth which was wide open in shock. He barely heard anything the doctor said after 'partial paralysis.' He watched as the doctor pulled Iggy out into the hallway and spoke with him. He turned back at Mandy, who was still looking stunned. Iggy came back in the room and for the first time, Mickey realized Iggy had his phone and was holding it out to him. 

"I've been trying to call Ian since you got here but he hasn't been answering. You wanna call him?"

Ian. For a moment, Mickey had forgotten about him, but now it was all coming back. The breakup, the chase, Sammi.

"Shit, Sammi."

Iggy asked, "Who the hell is Sammi?"

"Ian's sort of sister or something. She's the one who shot me. Chased me down the alley behind Ian's place."

Mandy chimed in. "Why the hell did she shoot you?"

"Because me and Debbie tried to kill her. Guess it didn't work."

Mandy and Iggy nodded as if this type of information was normal. But then, for a Milkovich, it wasn't exactly farfetched. Iggy and Mandy sat down in the chairs next to the bed, content to just keep Mickey company for awhile. After some time, a confused Mandy chimed in with another question.

"So wait, what does that have to do with Ian not taking your calls?"

Mickey sighs. "He broke up with me right before it happened."

"Wait, what?! Why?!"

"I don't know. He went off his meds again, said he didn't want to be on them. I guess he thought I'd force him to." Mickey turned his face away from them and stared at the wall. "I don't want to talk about it. I just want to go back to sleep for a bit. Can you guys go, come back later maybe?"

Iggy and Mandy gathered their things and were going to say goodbye before they left, but Mickey had closed his eyes and wouldn't look at them. They paused for a moment or two before leaving his room. When they were gone, he finally let out the tears that he had been fighting, let them silently roll down his face.

\--------------------

Iggy and Mandy went back to the Milkovich house. They stood in front at the sidewalk and just stared at the stairs leading to the front door. They didn't need to speak, each knew that the other one was wondering the same thing they were... How the hell could they make this place accessible for someone who couldn't walk? They made their way through the house, throwing out trash and sorting through the stuff that seemed to be everywhere, finding places for it. Mandy went into Mickey's room and started cleaning up. As she went, she found lots of Ian's stuff. A shirt here, a jacket there. She tossed it all on the bed until she was pretty sure she found the bulk of it and she grabbed a garbage bag and shoved everything inside.

Iggy came in as she was finishing up and said, "That Ian's shit?"

Mandy nodded and he grabbed the bag, hauled it over his shoulder and left. He walked the few blocks to the Gallagher house and hurled the bag at the front door. It hit with a loud thump and split open, spilling its contents on the porch. He made to walk away, only looking back when he heard the door open. Ian was there, staring at him. Iggy gave him the finger and rather than respond, Ian just bent down and started picking up his things.

\--------------------

Ten days after he woke up and nearly two weeks after his arrival, Mickey was finally discharged and allowed to go home. They had run test after test to check the damage he had sustained, they recommended physical therapy to help increase the odds of him being able to use his legs again, they even had a psychologist come and speak with him to assess his mental state. He had asked, angrily, how they expected his mental state would be after he woke up dumped by his boyfriend and injured by that bottle blonde trash box. The doctor recommended regular sessions. He recommended the doctor go fuck himself.

Mandy met him in his hospital room and helped him get dressed and a nurse wheeled him out to the entrance where Iggy was waiting with the car. Iggy lifted him out of the chair and sat him in the front seat, putting the wheelchair in the trunk. Mandy climbed in the back and they left. Mickey found his wallet and counted how much cash he had on him. He grabbed a wad of the money and offered it to Iggy.

"Detour to the liquor store. Whiskey, biggest bottle they got."

Iggy did stop at the liquor store. He figured that Mickey earned the right to drink himself stupid at least for one day, considering everything that had happened to him in the past two weeks. When they got to the house, Iggy got Mickey out of the car and managed to carry him inside, since they hadn't found a way to fix the problem of the staircase yet. Mandy wrestled the wheelchair out and dragged it up the steps behind them. Iggy got Mickey into his room and onto his bed, which they had pushed back against the far wall. Mickey was going to ask why they moved it but when Mandy followed behind them and opened the wheelchair back to its normal size, it made more sense. They made more room to maneuver. 

But Mickey wasn't interested in that right now. He was interested in the whiskey bottle Iggy was holding. He reached out to take it and Iggy gave it to him. He laid it next to him on the bed while he got himself situated and then he took hold of it again. He unscrewed the cap and raised it to his lips. He took a long drink and winced at the burn in his chest. He stared at his brother and sister pointedly, hoping they would get the point and leave. It worked on Iggy, but Mandy sat on the edge of the bed instead.

"You just going to drink your problems away?"

Mickey rolled his eyes as he took another sip and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Jesus Christ, I got dumped and then shot. The third time I've been shot over that prick, by the way. Can I have one night where I'm allowed to try to forget about it all?"

Mandy shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure. But don't think I'm letting this become a habit for you. There's a lot of shit you're going to have to figure out with this, and I'm not letting you lock yourself in this room. I'm moving home and we're going to do this. And if you think for a minute that I'll feel bad and not kick your ass, don't. Because I will if I have to. You can have some time to drink and sulk and whatever you need to do and then that's it. I mean it."

She left and didn't come back until much later, when she forced him to eat some pizza that she had ordered. Iggy went out on a run and Mandy sat in the living room, listening to Mickey getting more and more drunk and upset. She could hear him cursing Ian, an occasional choked laughing, more than a few sobs, and she wondered what the hell had gotten into Ian. Not even about breaking up with her brother, she could understand that. But from what little information Mickey had given her to piece together since he told them about it, she couldn't figure out why Ian handled it the way he did.

Normally, Mandy would have went to her best friend to talk to him (more like confront him) about it. But this wasn't the Ian she last saw as she left for Indiana. He could have never done something so heartless. Mandy was angry. She was angry that she had been so far out of the loop, that Ian hurt her brother, that Mickey was now broken, literally and figuratively. Most of all, she was more concerned with helping Mickey get his life together than figuring out why Ian shot it all to hell in the first place.


	2. Chapter 2

Mickey woke up to his sister shaking him and holding his phone out to him. He rubbed his eyes to urge the sleep away, trying to get up before he remembered that he couldn't walk. _Shit _. He had been sleeping on his stomach, as he usually did, and it was a bitch to get himself turned over onto his back. Mandy reached to help roll him over with her free hand but he slapped it away. She couldn't be there forever. He managed to turn his upper body enough and pull his top leg along to give him the momentum he needed to get onto his back. Once there, he pushed himself up to lay his back on the pillows and he took the phone from her.__

__Mickey saw the time on the phone was early, and he wasn't in the mood to be polite. "Yea?"_ _

__"Is this Mr. Mickey Milkovich?"_ _

__"Yea, who the hell is this?"_ _

__"This is Detective Barton, Chicago PD. We need to get your statement regarding your shooting two weeks ago. We understand your finally home and wanted to schedule a time for you to come in."_ _

__Mickey didn't really want any part in dealing with the cops. "Is this really necessary?"_ _

__"Sir, if you don't cooperate, the alleged assailant could get off with a lesser charge, or walk completely. If you want justice for what happened to you, it would be in your best interest to comply."_ _

__Mickey thought about that justice, and what Sammi did. But he didn't think about his shooting, or the fact that he couldn't even get out of bed to take a piss without having to get in the stupid chair or get Iggy to carry him. He didn't think about how he was going to work up the nerve to let one of his siblings help bathe him, or get him in and out of the house. Instead he thought of her ratting out Ian, how that final push reunited him with his mother and started the chain of events (said events which Mickey still wasn't sure about) that led Ian to break up with him. Sammi fucked up his life, but not even in the way she thought._ _

__"Fine. Can I come in today and get this shit over with?"_ _

__They scheduled the appointment for that afternoon and Mickey hung up. Mandy was still standing in the room, watching her brother and nervously biting at her cuticles. He offered her the phone back and she took it, looking at him for another moment before she spoke._ _

__"You need me to help you get ready?"_ _

__He closed his eyes, unable to look at her when he answered. "Probably."_ _

__She was quiet for a long beat before he heard her voice break the silence. "We've got some time. I'll make you some breakfast."_ _

__Her footsteps left the room. Mickey listened until he was sure she was in the kitchen before he opened his eyes. He listened as she rustled around, gathering food from the fridge and finding pans, noises slowly turning into delicious smells. He sat himself more upright, not leaning back on the pillows anymore, and used his hands to swing his legs off the side of the bed. Mickey leaned forward and grabbed the chair, pulling it close. He moved it back and forth, looking at it, trying to figure out the best way to get into it. He noticed the lever brakes and locked it in place. _That'll help I bet._ Luckily for Mickey, he had decent upper body strength and was able to finagle his way into the chair, although without much grace. He reached down and lifted his feet onto the pedals between the front wheels. He unlocked the brakes and slowly tested moving it back and forth. _ _

__Mandy came to tell Mickey that breakfast was ready and was pleasantly surprised to see him up. "You got in by yourself! That's great!"_ _

__"Can't figure out how to turn the stupid thing though."_ _

__She turned the wheelchair to face the door and he wheeled himself through, careful not to hit his hands on the door frame. He maneuvered through the house slowly, allowing Mandy to turn the chair when need be, until he was able to roll himself up to the table. She placed a plate of fried eggs, bacon and toast in front of Mickey and he dug in greedily. It was the first good meal he'd had in weeks. While he ate, he was thinking about his appointment at the police station and realized that he had a problem he needed to address before he went down there._ _

__"Mands, I need you to do something for me."_ _

__"Sure, what's up?"_ _

__"I need you to track down Debbie and get her to come over here. No phones."_ _

__"You want me to go over to the Gallaghers? Why?"_ _

__"She was in on this revenge plot with Sammi. I need to know if the cops came to her, if Sammi implicated us in anything. If they do know about anything, or about Debbie's involvement, I don't want any phone records that can be traced."_ _

__He finished his food and motioned Mandy to help him back to the room. "Can you go see if she's home now?"_ _

__Mandy nodded and made to leave but Mickey grabbed her wrist to stop her. "One more thing... Don't tell her about the chair. I don't want her to tell her brother."_ _

__She looked at him skeptically. "Mick, how the hell are you going to hide a wheelchair?"_ _

__"I'll figure it the fuck out. Just go."_ _

__She left the room and Mickey managed to get himself back into bed. He folded up the wheelchair and turned it on its side on the floor. He turned himself around until he was laying on his stomach and his arms were hanging off the bed. He grabbed hold of the chair and managed to slide it under the bed. Once he got himself up to a seated position, he was able to move the blanket off the edge of the bed to hide the view underneath. He got himself seated and waited for Mandy to come back, hopefully with Debbie in tow._ _

__\-------------------_ _

__Mandy waited a little way down the block, hoping for one of two things. One, that she would see Debbie outside alone and be able to corner her or two, that she would see Fiona and/or Ian and be able to avoid them. She turned her back to the cold wind blowing at her and lit a cigarette, turning back around to resume her watch. It didn't take long before she saw some motion and she couldn't believe her luck. Fiona and Ian both exited the house together. They walked down the stairs, reached the sidewalk and headed in the opposite direction from where Mandy was waiting. Another stroke of luck. She waited until they were out of sight before she crossed the street and knocked on the front door._ _

__Debbie herself answered, and both girls were surprised to see each other, Mandy for how much Debbie had grown up and changed in such a short time, and Debbie just for the fact that Mandy was at her door._ _

__"You're back!" Debbie exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Lip's at college and you just missed Ian. He left for work. He's working at Patsy's now, same as Fiona."_ _

__Mandy ignored the details. She was used to Debbie giving her more information than she wanted. "Actually, I'm here to see you. Mickey needs to talk to you, it's important. Can you come with me to the house?"_ _

__Debbie shifted from one foot to the other, clearly looking a bit nervous at hearing Mickey's name, but after a moment she nodded. "Liam! Get your shoes on, we need to go see Mickey for a few minutes."_ _

__There was a pitter patter of little footsteps and Liam appeared, shoes in hand. He sat down and put them on while Debbie grabbed her keys and their coats, wrestling Liam into his and ushering him out while she locked the door. She took his hand and they followed Mandy._ _

__\--------------------_ _

__Mickey heard the front door open and footsteps move through the house. He certainly hoped it was his sister, because there wasn't much defending of the homestead that he could do from his bed. A moment later, there was a knock at his door. "Come in." The door opened and and he saw Mandy, with Debbie and Liam behind her holding hands. Liam broke free from his sister's grip and rushed forward, climbing on the bed and jumping on Mickey's lap._ _

__"Hey little man." Mickey rubbed his back affectionately while shooting Mandy a look._ _

__"Hey Liam, wanna come watch TV with me while Debbie talks to Mickey? You can come back when they're done." He nodded and slid off the bed. Mandy led him out and left Debbie in the doorway._ _

__Mickey patted the bed next to him. "Come in, close the door. I won't bite."_ _

__Debbie entered and pushed the door behind her. She perched on the edge of the bed, fingers twisting the ends of her hair in nervousness._ _

__"So, did you know that Sammi shot me?"_ _

__She shook her head no. "I heard that she chased you and got arrested, but I didn't actually know she shot you."_ _

__"Debs, do you know if she told the cops anything about what we did to her? They want me to come in and give my statement this afternoon. Has anyone come and talked to you?"_ _

__She shook her head again. "No, nothing. I don't think she said anything to them."_ _

__"Listen, if anyone ever does come your way, you know nothing. You hear me? Nothing. I'm going to send this bitch up the river for what she did to me, and for what she did to your brother. Don't tell anybody a thing, not even your brothers and sisters."_ _

__Debbie nodded, staring down at her lap. She finally looked at him and said, "I'm sorry."_ _

__Mickey cocked his head at her, confused. "For what?"_ _

__"For my idiot brother breaking up with you. I thought Lip was the only one who was equally smart and stupid, but apparently they both are."_ _

__Mickey smiled but his eyes were sad. "Me too, Little Red." He swallowed hard before he asked his next question. "How is he? Still off his meds?"_ _

__She sighed. "Yep. So far he's okay, but Fiona said it's only a matter of time before that changes though. So we just keep an eye on things for now."_ _

__They sat there for awhile, quietly but not uncomfortably. Mickey found himself glancing at her every so often, marveling at how much she looked like Ian, besides her big brown eyes. Finally she stood up and said, "I should get home, I have to make Liam lunch. And you have your appointment."_ _

__Mickey thanked her for coming over and she paused for a second before exiting the room. She was surprised when he didn't walk her out, or even get up, but she didn't think too hard about it. She collected Liam and said goodbye to Mandy and they left._ _

__\--------------------_ _

__Iggy pulled up to the police station and helped to get Mickey settled in the wheelchair. "Call me when you're done. Probably best if I don't hang around and draw attention to myself." He got in the car and pulled away. Mickey and Mandy entered the station and waited until Mickey was called back to meet with the detective. He was escorted to an interview room and a few minutes later two men in suits entered and greeted him, offering their hands. Mickey couldn't help but feel some amusement at being on the other side of the legal process for once._ _

__"Mr. Milkovich, I'm Detective Barton, we spoke on the phone this morning. This is my partner, Detective Jones. May we call you Mickey?" He nodded his assent. They pulled out a tape recorder and got their notebooks ready to take notes throughout the interview. "Before we get into the details of the day in question, can you tell us your full name, address and birthday for the record?"_ _

__Mickey provides them with the information they requested and they jot it down in their books, though the tape recorder is already on. "Great. Mickey, can you tell us about the events leading up to your shooting?"_ _

__"I woke up to my phone ringing, but by the time I got to it and picked it up, I just missed the call."_ _

__"Who was calling you?"_ _

__"Ian Gallagher."_ _

__More writing in their notepads. "Okay, please continue."_ _

__"I called him back and asked where he was. He had been missing for a few days. He said he was home and I told him to wait there for me and that I'd be right there. I got dressed and I ran over."_ _

__"And where does Mr. Gallagher live?"_ _

__"2119 North Wallace."_ _

__"So the shooting occurred in the alley that runs behind his house?"_ _

__"Yes."_ _

__"Okay, continue."_ _

__"I ran over to see him and when I got there he was outside. We... He was my boyfriend. We broke up. A lot of things happened and he broke up with me. We were talking and I heard someone calling my name. I looked over and saw Sammi."_ _

__"Can you identify her out of these photos?"_ _

__They show him a selection of mugshots and he points hers out. "Mr. Milkovich has identified Samantha Slott. Please continue."_ _

__"Anyway. I looked over when she called me and realized she was holding a gun. I didn't think beyond that, I took off running. I ran around the back of the Gallagher house into the alley with her chasing and shooting at me. I remember us yelling back and forth but I don't remember what we said. She shot once or twice without hitting me but then she did. I don't remember anything after that until I woke up in the hospital three days later."_ _

__"Do you have any idea why she was looking for you?"_ _

__"No. I know her through Ian and his family, she's their half sister, but I don't know her well enough for her to have anything against me."_ _

__"Mickey, do you understand that the District Attorney will want you to testify?"_ _

__He sighed as if he was really put out by this, but he had already anticipated it. "I figured that would be likely. It is what it is."_ _

__"They will contact you directly with a date to testify in open court. I don't know if a deposition will be necessary, since we will be providing them with your statement. In any event, we've got what we need. Thank you for coming down here." They shook his hand again and left, allowing Mandy to come back and help him out of the station._ _

__Another week went by before Mickey was contacted by the District Attorney. They gave him a date to appear in the courthouse. The countdown was on._ _


	3. Chapter 3

Debbie was annoyed. No, scratch that. Debbie was pissed.

On the walk home from the Milkovich house, she had managed to work herself into a state. She thought about Fiona, Lip and Ian and what she thought of as their terminal selfishness. "Liam, don't you turn out like them," she had said. "Take and take, but don't ever want to give back."

She got back to the house and fed Liam his lunch. No one else was home and it gave Debbie the opportunity to stew in her anger. How was it possible that all of her older siblings were such raging _idiots_? She knew, had always known, that Lip and Fiona were no good in their relationships. But she had held out hope that Ian was different. Whether it was because of the seeming stability with he and Mickey, or the fact that he was more secretive of his love life and left less to be analyzed, Debbie hadn't lumped Ian in with the other two. But now she was.

Debbie was also thinking long and hard about her own choices, and finally understood that if she didn't stop what she had started, she would wind up just as bad as them, if not worse. They were all takers, they took whatever people would give them and never offered the same in return. She didn't exclude herself from this, she thought she was just as bad as the rest of them. Debbie went upstairs to finish her homework, but first she took out her phone and sent a message to Matty that was long overdue.

_I finally understand what I did to you and I am so sorry. I know you don't want to talk to me and I don't blame you, I just had to let you know. I won't bother you anymore._

\----------

Debbie heard the clamoring downstairs as Fiona and Ian arrived home from their shifts at Patsy's. She heard Fiona greeting Liam in that chipper voice she saved just for him and then she heard her own name being called. 

"Deb? We're back, we've got food! Come on down to eat, Lip should be here any minute too!"

She rolled her eyes. The last thing Debbie wanted was to be stuck at dinner with all three of them. At least when Carl was home they could have retreated after and talked, but she couldn't do that with Liam. She decided then that she was not sticking around for this. She sent Derek a text message to see if he could meet up and as soon as he said yes, she grabbed her coat to make a run for it. She was almost out the back door before Fiona stopped her.

"Deb! We're about to eat, where are you going?"

"I have plans with Derek."

"C'mon Debs, have dinner with us. Lip is coming too, the gang's all here! I feel like we haven't all talked in a while, we should catch up."

Debbie felt the sneer on her face before she could stop it. "The gang's _not_ all here, in case you forgot about your brother Carl in juvie. As for the other stuff, who's fault is that? Lip is off living some weird fantasy with his professor and you can't decide if you're playing house with Gus or chasing Sean around, so you forgot about the rest of us."

Ian, who had been sitting at the counter silently watching, chimed in. "That's not fair, Debs."

She turned her wrath on him then, unleashing the anger she had pent up all day. "You need to shut up, you're no better. Mickey was shot because of you, you know. Because of you and your selfishness."

He looked at her, clearly confused. "Debbie, that was years ago. What does that matter now?"

She shook her head and yelled, "NO, you asshole, it was two weeks ago. If you pulled your head out of your ass you'd have known. Sammi shot him!"

Ian and Fiona looked at each other, the shock clear on both of their faces. Fiona looked at Debbie and asked, "How do you know this?"

"Because I saw him this afternoon! He has to go to court and testify, you know." She jabbed a finger in Ian's direction and said, "If you actually gave a shit and checked in on him, you'd know all this."

Debbie could see that she'd gotten through to Ian, see the emotions running across his face, but she was too mad to feel vindicated about it.

"Debbie, how did you see him? Why?" He looked at her desperately, his eyes imploring her for more information. She wasn't having it.

"Ian, if you're so concerned, ask him yourself. I gotta go."

She yanked her coat on and stomped out the door, leaving Fiona and Ian in stunned silence together. 

\----------

Fiona and Ian sat at the table together with Liam. Lip had messaged them that something had come up and asked for a rain check. _So much for family dinner_ , Fiona thought to herself. But maybe it was better. She was worried about Ian. Had been worried anyway, but this news was understandably upsetting him and maybe a quiet night was better. She watched as he pushed his food back and forth on his plate and she reached out to quell his motion with her own hand, stroking her thumb on his skin in what she hoped was a soothing touch.

"Ian, at least we know he's okay. Debbie saw him."

"Fi, I fucked up. I handled the whole thing wrong. I need to be there to support him, to watch Sammi get put away."

She nodded knowingly. "I'll call Tony, see if he can find out when the court date is." 

She pulled out her cell phone and made the call, Tony promising he'd let her know as soon as he found anything. It didn't take long before he made good on his promise and called her back with everything they needed. She wrote the information on the calendar on the side of the fridge and came back to sit with Ian again.

"I'll come and support you. I bet Debs will come too. She's upset but she loves you. And Mickey."

Ian nodded thoughtfully before excusing himself and going upstairs to bed.

\----------

Mickey was nervous. He wasn't really sure why. All he had to do was relay the facts to the court and that was it. He supposed that it was just the legal system in general. He was used to working against it, not with it. Being on this side was a strange experience for him. He had been told to arrive at the courthouse early, and that he would be sequestered in a private room until he was to appear to testify. Mandy and Iggy had escorted him and he was told that they could stay with him the entire time, which was a relief. They all sat in the room together, trying to make small talk, but it was a wasted effort. None of them had much to say.

Iggy looked around the room and verbalized what Mickey had been feeling. "Weird to be on this side of shit, huh? I feel like one of us should be in handcuffs."

Mickey snorted at that and Mandy gave a real laugh. It helped lighten the tension in the room considerably as they all joked about which one of them would be the most likely candidate. They all eventually agreed that Mandy was well deserving, but would be the most likely to get away with her indiscretions. None of them could decide whether Iggy or Mickey would be most likely to get caught and do time. Before they could argue about it any further, it was time to go.

\----------

Fiona, Ian and Debbie had all arrived at the courthouse to watch Sammi's trial, shooting dirty looks at the back of her head while listening to the testimony of the arresting officers. They hadn't realized just how boring sitting in on a trial actually was, and they were glad when the officer's testimony ended and they were given a brief recess. Finally, everyone was called back in and they knew that Mickey would come walking in at any moment to drive the proverbial nail into the coffin which would hopefully keep Sammi out of all of their lives for good. The district attorney spoke the words they had been waiting to hear since they arrived.

"The prosecution would like to call Mickey Milkovich to the stand."

\----------

Mickey was in the hallway, wishing he had been able to sneak outside for a cigarette before he had to go in the courtroom. The judge had called the trial back into session and the hallway had been cleared before he was brought out to wait, and it was just he, his siblings and a court officer in the corridor. 

"It's going to be fine," Mandy assured him with a smile. "It will be over before you know it."

Mickey nodded, but he wasn't really listening. He heard a small rapping on the door from inside and the court officer opened it. There was another officer on the other side and they spoke briefly before they opened both doors and the first officer could wheel him inside to his place, Mandy and Iggy following behind to take seats. As he was pushed down the aisle, he heard an audible gasp and he looked to follow the noise. He wanted to die at the sight of Fiona, Debbie and Ian sitting there in the crowd. _Ian._ He wasn't the one who gasped, though. That was Debbie. He felt guilty for not having warned her about the truth when he saw her, but it was too late. 

The officer wheeled Mickey to the front of the room and positioned him in front of the witness stand. He watched as Debbie jumped up from her seat and ran out of the courtroom, Fiona right on her heels. However, Ian stayed. The two stared at each other for a long moment while Mickey was being sworn in. 

The court officer asked, "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

Mickey looked Ian in the eye as he answered. "I do."


	4. Chapter 4

When Mickey was done with his testimony, he maneuvered himself out of the room as fast as he could navigate his wheelchair. When he made it to the hallway, he let Iggy take over pushing him so they could get the hell out of there quicker. He saw Debbie at the end of the hall, sitting on a bench near the elevator bank and crying, Fiona squatting down in front of her. He motioned to Iggy to bring him over to her. At their approach, Fiona got to her feet and looked like she wanted to say something, but Mickey paid her no mind. He turned himself to face Debbie and rolled close to her slowly.

She looked at him, visibly shaken. "I just saw you. Why didn't you tell me?"

Mickey sighed and dragged his hand down his face. "You're right, I'm sorry. I didn't... I didn't want you to tell your brother."

Debbie picked at a loose thread on her jacket sleeve. Her voice got quiet when she spoke again. "I'm so pissed at him. You don't deserve any of this."

"Hey," Mickey chastened her as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be mad at your brother, this isn't his fault. None of it's his fault. Be mad at that bitch Sammi. She set all of this in motion."

She nodded and he gave her shoulder a little squeeze. He looked to Iggy and cocked his head towards the elevators and Iggy came over to help push him but before he could, Debbie threw her arms around his neck. Mickey hugged her back, stroking her hair to soothe her as her breathing hitched. 

"Hey Little Red," Mickey whispered in her ear. "You come by anytime you want, you hear me?"

She nodded and released him, stepping back and raising her hand in a wave. Iggy started to push him towards the exit again before Ian stepped in front of them.

His eyes searched Mickey's face. "Mick, can we talk?"

"No."

Mickey noticed that Mandy was by the elevator bank and he motioned to her to push the button that would call for the elevator. Iggy was trying to steer Mickey's wheelchair around Ian, but he kept moving to block their path. Mickey was pissed.

"Ian, get out of the fuckin' way."

"Mickey, _please_ ," Ian implored. "Please, just two minutes."

He looked at the floor. "I've heard about enough from you for awhile."

None of the boys noticed that Mandy had come back over. She pulled at Ian's arm roughly. "Back the fuck up. He said he didn't want to talk to you."

Iggy used the distraction to push the wheelchair the other way and moved around them. They got to the elevator bank as the doors were opening. He rolled Mickey on, Mandy right behind them. Ian tried to get on, to speak, but Mandy held her hand up to block him.

" _Enough_ , Ian. Haven't you done enough?"

She ignored the stricken look on his face and jabbed at the DOOR CLOSE button, watching as Ian disappeared from their view.

\----------

Ian didn't feel heartbroken; he felt like something in his chest had exploded and kept exploding.

It had started in the courtroom. Seeing Mickey being wheeled into the room. Ian couldn't wrap his mind around it. He felt immensely guilty for what happened, felt that if he hadn't summoned Mickey over there to break up with him, that Mickey would be fine. It was all a waste anyway, because Ian was miserable without him. At the time, a breakup had seemed like the right idea, like the only idea. But everything was jumbled, and Ian couldn't figure out how something that had seemed right could hurt so much. He didn't know if he wanted to beg Mickey to take him back, or just apologize for the way he handled things. He didn't know what to say but from the minute Mickey entered that courtroom, Ian just wanted to talk to him. 

Seeing Mickey had been the first pain, Mickey refusing to speak with him was the second, and the elevator shutting in his face was the third. Just two weeks ago, those three people were his family. Now he was a pariah, and he couldn't blame anyone for it. With everything happening so fast, Ian hadn't even had time to process that Mandy was home. He wondered how his best friend must feel about him now, and that ache was a dull roar in his chest. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Fiona looking at him, trying to give him a warm smile but he could see that she hurt for him too. 

"You okay Sweetface?"

Ian shrugged listlessly. He punched at the button to call another elevator and looked around. "Where's Debs?"

Fiona sighed. "She said she wanted to go home by herself. I figured it was just easier to let her rather than fight about it."

Ian understood that. He couldn't blame her. Debbie had always been very empathetic and she drew off of the people around her, and she certainly had a deep well to tap from with that crowd. The elevator dinged and he and Fiona stepped on together. Neither of them had work that afternoon, having taken the day off just in case the trial was long. Ian wondered what the hell he could do with himself so that he didn't just go home and mope in bed. Apparently, Fiona was thinking the same thing.

"Let's do something today. When's the last time we hung out, just you and me?"

Ian shrugged. It occurred to him that he didn't know if they had ever hung out just the two of them. He thought that was kind of sad. 

Fiona clapped her hands together. "Do you happen to have your school ID?"

He had no idea, but he took out his wallet and thumbed through it until he found it buried in the back of his cards and papers. He ignored the feeling that was creeping up on him about not having used that ID and effectively being a dropout. He had enough shitty things to focus on for one day.

She nodded, as if a decision had been made. "Let's go to a museum. You can get a discount with the student ID. It'll be something different."

Fiona seemed excited about the idea, and Ian didn't have the heart to tell her that he didn't really care about the museum. It beat sitting at home anyway. "Sure, Fi. Sounds like a plan."

They agreed on the Museum of Contemporary Art and set themselves in motion. As it turned out, it was Tuesday and admission was free on Tuesdays, a rare stroke of luck. They entered and moved through the exhibits, Fiona paying careful attention to all the displays. Ian watched as she read placards and analyzed the works thoughtfully. They were standing side by side, Fiona looking at the painting in front of them.

"I don't really... get... art."

Ian snickered a little to himself. "I used to run with a crowd who would have been able to throw all these terms and words around like 'post-modern' and 'cerebral' and whatever else to describe it to you."

She look intrigued. "Well, what do you think they would say?"

He rolled his eyes a little, not at the question itself, but at all of the answers he could come up with. "Fi, it doesn't matter."

Her confusion was obvious. "Why?"

Ian pondered for a moment before he answered. "Because it's all bullshit anyway. It's subjective, and it means whatever you want or think it to mean. They were nice people, but all a bunch of yuppie types who didn't have a clue about the shit that really matters. It seemed attractive at the time, but it's really not."

Fiona considered his words. "How come?"

His answer was quicker. "They didn't get what it meant to struggle, to fight. They never went hungry, or spent time in foster care, or scrounged the couch for change because that change actually made a difference. They could talk your head off about all of this art because they had the leisure to take art history in college, or their parents had museum memberships because they were big donors."

She smiled wistfully. "I think it sounds nice. To have the luxury to do that."

Ian looked at his sister, the dark circles under her eyes making her look older than her 23 years. He could understand why she would like the appeal of it. She had never had time for a hobby, though she did her best to make sure Ian and the rest of their siblings did. He felt another pang of guilt when he thought about what had been happening with him over the past year or so, how that must have weighed on her, how he kept doing things at every turn to make that worry stronger, not less. 

Maybe he could try the meds again. For himself, sure.

But also for her.

\----------

When Mickey and his siblings made it back to the house, there was a box on the porch with Mickey's name on it. While Iggy got Mickey upstairs, Mandy brought in the wheelchair and then went back out to retrieve it. She opened it up and they found some sort of strange plastic stool with metal legs. Mickey and Mandy stared at it, not knowing what it was, until Iggy chimed in.

"Oh, that's a shower stool. You put it in the tub and sit on it while you shower since you can't stand and all."

Mandy turned over the box and a note fell out. She handed it to Mickey and he unfolded it.

_Heard about what happened from Debs, I'm SO sorry! I hope you're doing okay!_  
_Got this from a friend at the old folks home I used to work at. Could probably get_  
_more stuff if you need it, just let me know._

_\- Vee_

Mickey didn't care for the idea of accepting charity, but the possibility of being able to shower without help was too appealing, and soon he had Iggy putting it in the tub and leaving him in there to figure it out. Mickey turned on the shower to warm it up while he managed to get himself undressed. He made his way onto the stool, and though it took him a while, showering alone was really, really nice. He sat there under the warm stream and let it relax him, and when he was done and managed to get himself dried off and into clean boxers and a t-shirt, it felt like a major accomplishment.

It made him want to try to accomplish more. Maybe he would reconsider physical therapy after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on Tumblr [here](http://grumblesandmumbles.tumblr.com).


End file.
